When Cheryl Wilson gave birth to her first daughter three years ago, friends and family showered her with so many baby gifts - many of them duplicates - that she ran out of storage space at home. She appreciated the kind gestures, but as a successful professional married to another one, she couldn't help seeing the gifts as something of a waste.
'To be honest, we already have everything we need,' says Wilson, former head of tourism with InvestHK. 'But the gift-giving culture is such a big part of everyday life, especially in Hong Kong, that it's almost rude to tell others not to buy gifts for you.'
Wilson had just read a report about the growing disparity between the rich and poor in Hong Kong, and she had a brainwave while she was trying to shove multiple baby carriages into a closet.
'Wouldn't it be great if we could combine traditional gift giving with helping those in poverty?' Wilson recalls asking herself.
The idea percolated in her head for a while. After giving birth to a second daughter earlier this year, she quit her job to focus on what she calls her 'three babies': the two daughters and Charitable Choice, a charity gift card service she launched last month.
The concept - essentially a way to donate money to the charity of a recipient's choice - has been operating in other countries for some time. But Charitable Choice is the first Hong Kong-based service whose sole focus is on helping local groups. These range from animal welfare organisations to orphanages and hospices.